Gareth Davies has revealed the unease he felt walking into the Welsh Rugby Union offices on his first day taking over the reins from David Pickering as chairman.

Former Wales flanker Pickering was voted off the WRU board back in September – a month after a £60m peace deal was thrashed out between the Union and the four Welsh regions after a bitter civil war.

Davies as chief executive of the Newport Gwent Dragons at the time was a key figure for the regions in their fight with the Union over greater funding to help compete with rugby’s big spenders in France and England.

But in October 2014, he was elected Pickering’s successor as chairman of the WRU, beating finance committee chairman Martin Davies in a straight shoot-out for the position.

Ex-Wales outside-half Davies spoke to the Sunday Times about his difficult introduction in the most powerful role in the Welsh game.

“I remember walking into the office the first day and all I got was turning heads, people who were there probably thinking ‘that’s the bastard who was calling us a joke last week’ said Davies.

“But I think that’s all changed, that we have a clear path without impediments and that the community game will feed into the Premiership game, the Premiership into the regional game and the regions into the Welsh team.

“If you look at the Union’s old strategic plan there’s not a line on regional rugby.

“But it has to be there, as the community game has to be there, as the Welsh team has to be there.

“Rugby is critical to the social fabric of Wales. That’s why community rugby is important to us.

“It’s more important than just producing players for Wales 10 years on, though that’s part of it too.

“The stronger the base, the stronger the top of the pyramid.”

Meanwhile Davies has pledged that whoever succeeds Roger Lewis as chief executive of the WRU will not ‘be a fan in the job for the wrong reasons’.

In February Lewis announced he was to stand down at the end of the World Cup.